The English Translation and Commentary of Dr. Yaqoub Al Ghunaim’s Highlights from Kuwait History

Abstract

The goal of this applied thesis is to produce a fluent, meaningful translation, while preserving the originality of the text. This applied thesis consists of both a translation into English and a commentary on a book titled Malamih Min Tareekh Al Kuwait: Highlights from Kuwait History by the Kuwaiti writer Yaqoub Yousef Al Ghunaim. The book attempts to highlight the vitality of the Kuwaitis since the beginning of the rise of the state. The translation of the selected book raises many problematic areas that were mainly cultural. The commentary discusses these cultural difficulties and problems like Turkish and Kuwaiti honorifics and kin terms, titles of addresses from the Kuwaiti maritime and the Turkish Military, and Islamic terminology. Each issue is addressed and resolved by adopting a successful translation strategy such as foreignization, domestication, etc.